Many clients come to our consulting firm asking how to get a grow license in Florida.  Cannabis is not yet recreationally legal in Florida, but the state has enacted a medical marijuana program.  Only a medical marijuana treatment center (“MMTC”) may dispense cannabis products to qualified patients and caregivers with a Florida medical marijuana card.  Unfortunately, there is not a specific grow license in Florida for the cultivation of medical marijuana and the law does not permit patients to cultivate plants at home. Florida law requires vertical integration, which means that any company approved for a MMTC license must perform all stages of the supply chain including cultivation, processing, packaging, labeling, dispensing, and delivering the medical marijuana to qualified patients.  MMTC license holders are not permitted to focus solely on one part of the supply chain, such as growing cannabis.

As of February 2023, the state has only issued 22 medical marijuana treatment center (“MMTC”) licenses.  However, the state has announced that it will open another application round from April 24 through April 28, 2023, in which it will issue an additional 22 MMTC licenses.  Historically, the cost of a medical marijuana treatment center license in Florida is nearly the most expensive in the United States. With so few licenses being issued, the purchase prices to purchase an existing license have ranged from $40 to $55 million.  For the next application round, the non-refundable application fee charged by the state in reviewing an application for an MMTC license will be $146,000, which does not include any additional costs which the applicant will incur in preparing the application.

Unsurprisingly, the high cost of preparing and applying for a MMTC license has kept many growers on the sidelines as to the medical marijuana market in Florida.  However, another approach many growers have considered is to apply for a hemp cultivation license.  While there may not be as much money in the cultivation of hemp as opposed to medical marijuana, the hope is that these hemp farmers will be well positioned, if the state of Florida terminates the vertical integration requirement.

If you have questions on how to get a grow license in Florida, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our consulting firm. Mr. Cannabis Law will help you navigate Florida’s ever-changing cannabis industry.

Disclaimer: Nothing herein should be construed as legal advice. Additionally, cannabis laws and psychedelic laws are quickly evolving. Thus, while we do our best to keep our content current, we are not able to guarantee that the content herein is current or even accurate. You should not take any action in reliance on the information on this website.

Written by:  Amanda Barton, Esq. and Jules Batchker